Pro Basketball League

Pro Basketball League
Formerly	See sponsorship names
Founded	1928
Folded	2021
Replaced by	BNXT League
Country	Belgium
Federation	BLB
Confederation	FIBA Europe
Number of teams	10
Level on pyramid	1
Domestic cup(s)	Belgian Cup
Supercup	Belgian Supercup
International cup(s)	Champions League ; Europe Cup
Last champions	Filou Oostende (23rd title) ; (2021–22)
Most championships	Filou Oostende (23 titles)
President	Maarten Bostyn
Website	euromillionsbasketball.be

Last updated January 22, 2024

The Pro Basketball League (PBL),^[1] was the highest tier level professional basketball league in Belgium for clubs. In 2021, the league was succeeded by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League.^[2]

History

On 15 March 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the season was prematurely cancelled. Based on the standings in the regular season, Filou Oostende was crowned national champions.^[4]

Sponsorship names

Until 2014: Ethias League
2014–2016: Scooore! League
2016–2021 EuroMillions Basketball League^[5]

Ethias League logo
Scooore! League logo (2014–2016)

Format and rules

The BLB is played by the international FIBA rules. Since 2014–15 the BLB season has a new format. In the regular season, all teams play each other first home and away. After that first round the league is divided in two groups based on standings; in the first group teams ranked 1–6 play and in the second 7–11. After the split each team plays all others in its group once home and once away. After that the Playoffs are played by eight teams. The quarterfinals consist of best-of-three series and the semi- and finals are played in a best-of-five format.

Licensing

Teams that play in the BLB all have to get a license to play in the league. There are three types of licenses:^[6]^[7]

A-license: for teams who have more than a € 1 million budget. A-licensed team can qualify for European competitions.
B-license: teams with at least a €750,000 budget. B-licensed teams can't qualify for European play.
C-licence: given to teams that are on the rise, with a budget of at least €400,000. C-licenses do not allow teams to qualify for European play and have to get replaced by B-licenses after two years.

Current clubs

Spirou

Liège

Leuven

Oostende

Giants

Okapi

Mechelen

Mons

Limburg

Brussels

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Location of the 2020–21 Pro Basketball League teams

Club	City	Arena	Capacity
Antwerp Giants	Antwerp	Lotto Arena	5,218
Belfius Mons-Hainaut	Mons	Mons Arena	4,000
Filou Oostende	Ostend	Sleuyter Arena	5,000
Kangoeroes Mechelen	Mechelen	De Winketaai	1,000
Leuven Bears	Leuven	Sportoase	3,400
Limburg United	Hasselt	Alverberg-sporthal	1,730
Okapi Aalst	Aalst	Okapi Forum	2,800
Phoenix Brussels	Brussels	Complexe sportif de Neder-Over-Hembeek	1,200
Spirou	Charleroi	Spiroudome	6,200
VOO Liège	Liège	Country Hall Ethias Liège	5,000

Finals

Since 2005, play-offs are played to decide which team is crowned the champion of each season. The finals series are played in a best-of-five format, with the team which had the higher seed in the regular season having home court advantage.

Season	Champions	Score	Runners-up
2004–05	Bree	3–1	Spirou
2005–06	Oostende	3–1	Mons-Hainaut
2006–07	Oostende	3–2	Bree
2007–08	Spirou	3–0	Bree
2008–09	Spirou	3–0	Mons-Hainaut
2009–10	Spirou	3–1	Liège Basket
2010–11	Spirou	3–0	Okapi Aalstar
2011–12	Oostende	3–2	Spirou
2012–13	Oostende	3–0	Mons-Hainaut
2013–14	Oostende	3–2	Okapi Aalstar
2014–15	Oostende	3–1	Mons-Hainaut
2015–16	Oostende	3–1	Okapi Aalstar
2016–17	Oostende	3–1	Brussels
2017–18	Oostende	3–0	Antwerp Giants
2018–19	Oostende	3–1	Antwerp Giants
2019–20	Oostende	Cancelled	Mons-Hainaut
2020–21	Oostende	3–1	Mons-Hainaut
2021–22	Oostende	3–1	Kangoeroes Mechelen

Performances by club (2005–present)

Team	Champions	Runners-up	Years champions	Years runners-up
Oostende	11	–	2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022	–
Spirou	4	2	2008, 2009, 2010, 2011	2005, 2012
Bree	1	2	2005	2007, 2008
Mons-Hainaut	–	6	–	2006, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2020, 2021
Okapi Aalstar	–	3	–	2011, 2014, 2016
Antwerp Giants	–	2	–	2018, 2019
Liège	–	1	–	2010
Brussels	–	1	–	2017
Kangoeroes Mechelen	–	1	–	2022

Title holders

1927–28 Brussels A.C.
1928–29 Daring B.C.
1929–30 Brussels A.C.
1930–31 Brussels A.C.
1931–32 Daring B.C.
1932–33 Brussels A.C.
1933–34 Daring B.C.
1934–35 Amicale Sportive
1935–36 Amicale Sportive
1936–37 Fresh Air
1937–38 Fresh Air
1938–39 Royal IV
1939–41 Not held due to WWII
1941–42 Royal IV
1942–45 Not held due to WWII
1945–46 Semailles
1946–47 Semailles
1947–48 Semailles
1948–49 Semailles
1949–50 Semailles
1950–51 Semailles
1951–52 Royal IV
1953–53 Royal IV
1953–54 Royal IV
1954–55 Hellas Gent
1955–56 Antwerpse
1956–57 Royal IV
1957–58 Royal IV
1958–59 Antwerpse
1959–60 Antwerpse
1960–61 Antwerpse
1961–62 Antwerpse
1962–63 Antwerpse
1963–64 Antwerpse
1964–65 Racing Mechelen
1965–66 Racing Mechelen
1966–67 Racing Mechelen
1967–68 Standard Liège
1968–69 Racing Bell Mechelen
1969–70 Standard Liège
1970–71 Bus Fruit Lier
1971–72 Bus Fruit Lier
1972–73 Racing Antwerpen
1973–74 Maes Pils
1974–75 Maes Pils
1975–76 Maes Pils
1976–77 Standard Liège
1977–78 Fresh Air
1978–79 Fresh Air
1979–80 Maes Pils
1980–81 Sunair Oostende
1981–82 Sunair Oostende
1982–83 Sunair Oostende
1983–84 Sunair Oostende
1984–85 Sunair Oostende
1985–86 Sunair Oostende
1986–87 Maes Pils
1987–88 Sunair Oostende
1988–89 Maes Pils
1989–90 Maes Pils
1990–91 Maes Pils
1991–92 Maes Pils
1992–93 Maes Pils
1993–94 Maes Pils
1994–95 Sunair Oostende
1995–96 Spirou
1996–97 Spirou
1997–98 Spirou
1998–99 Spirou
1999–00 Telindus Racing Antwerpen
2000–01 Telindus Oostende
2001–02 Telindus Oostende
2002–03 Spirou
2003–04 Spirou
2004–05 Euphony Bree
2005–06 Telindus Oostende
2006–07 Telindus Oostende
2007–08 Spirou
2008–09 Spirou
2009–10 Spirou
2010–11 Spirou
2011–12 Telenet Oostende
2012–13 Telenet Oostende
2013–14 Telenet Oostende
2014–15 Telenet Oostende
2015–16 Telenet Oostende
2016–17 Telenet Oostende
2017–18 Telenet Oostende
2018–19 Filou Oostende
2019–20 Filou Oostende
2020–21 Filou Oostende
2021–22 Filou Oostende

Performance by club

Key
+	Denotes a team that has been dissolved.

Titles	Team	Seasons
23	Oostende	1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
15	Racing Mechelen ⁺	1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
10	Spirou	1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
8	Antwerpse ⁺	1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1973
7	Royal IV ⁺	1939, 1942, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1958
6	Semailles⁺	1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951
4	Fresh Air	1937, 1938, 1978, 1979
4	Brussels A.C.⁺	1928, 1930, 1931, 1933
3	Daring B.C.⁺	1929, 1932, 1934
3	Standard Liège ⁺	1968, 1970, 1977
2	Lier ⁺	1971, 1972
2	Amicale Sportive⁺	1935, 1936
1	Bree ⁺	2005
1	Antwerp Giants	2000
1	Hellas Gent ⁺	1955

Individual awards

Not all awards are official ones handed out by the league itself, but all are regarded and respected as BLB awards. As example the Belgian Player of the Year award is handed out by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad , but the league itself reports the winner on its website.

Belgian Basketball Player of the year
Coach of the Year
MVP
Star of the Coaches
Young Player of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award

Related Research Articles

Basketball Club Oostende, for sponsorship reasons Filou Oostende, is a Belgian professional basketball team. The club is based in Ostend and was founded in 1970. The club competes domestically in the BNXT League and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. Oostende is the most successful basketball club in Belgian history, as the club's honour list includes a record twenty-four Belgian League championships, a record nineteen Belgian Cups and eleven Belgian Supercups.

Antwerp Giants, named Telenet Giants Antwerp for sponsorship reasons, is a Belgian professional basketball club based in Antwerp. Their home arena is Lotto Arena. The club plays in the BNXT League, the highest tier of Belgian basketball. The club was created from the merger of Sobabee and Racing Mechelen. Then named Racing Basket Antwerpen, it was renamed Antwerp Giants in 2005.

Racing Club Mechelen, or Racing Club Malines, was a Belgian professional basketball club from the city of Mechelen, Belgium. It was the men's basketball section of K.R.C. Mechelen. For sponsorship reasons, the club was also known as Maes Pils from the 1970s until the 1990s.

The 2011–12 Basketball League Belgium Division I, for sponsorships reasons named 2011–12 Ethias League, was the 84th season of the Ethias League, the top tier basketball in Belgium. The season started on October 4, 2011, and finished in May 2012. Telenet BC Oostende took the title after beating Belgacom Spirou in five games.

The 2012–13 Basketball League Belgium Division I, for sponsorship reasons named 2012–13 Ethias League, was the 85th season of the top tier basketball league in Belgium. The season started on October 6, 2012 and finished on June 9, 2013. The season ended with the defending champions Telenet Oostende defeating Belfius Mons-Hainaut in three games to win its 14th national title.

The Belgian Basketball Cup, for sponsorship reasons the Lotto Basketball Cup, is the top tier national basketball cup competition in Belgium. The tournament is played in a knock-out format, in which teams are drawn against each other. Oostende is the most successful club in the competition's history, as it won 19 titles. Antwerp Giants are the last team to have won the Cup, having won the 2023 edition.

The 2013–14 Basketball League Belgium Division I, for sponsorship reasons the 2013–14 Ethias League, was the 87th season top tier basketball league in Belgium. The season started on October 4, 2013 and finished on June 9, 2014. Telenet BC Oostende won their 3rd straight title by beating Okapi Aalstar 3–2 in the Finals. Dušan Djordjević was named Most Valuable Player.

The 2013–14 Belgian Basketball Cup or The Base Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 60th season of the annual cup tournament in Belgium. Telenet BC Oostende was the defending champion.

Jean-Marc Mwema is a Belgian professional basketball player for Telenet Giants Antwerp of the BNXT League. He also represents the Belgian national basketball team.

The 2014–15 Basketball League Belgium Division I, known as the 2014–15 Scooore! League for sponsorship reasons, was the 88th season of the Basketball League Belgium. This season started with 11 clubs, including newly formed team Limburg United. Telenet Oostende was the defending champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014–15 Belgian Basketball Cup</span>

The 2014–15 Belgian Basketball Cup was the 61st season of the annual cup tournament in Belgium. Telenet Oostende was the defending champion.

The 2015–16 Basketball League Belgium Division I season, for sponsorships reasons named the Scooore! League, was the 89th season of the first tier of basketball in Belgium. The season started on October 2, 2015 and ended on 8 June 2016. The defending champion was Oostende, and it successfully defended its title.

The 2016–17 Pro Basketball League (PBL), for sponsorship reasons the EuroMillions Basketball League, season was the 90th season of the first tier of basketball in Belgium. The defending champion was Oostende, which successfully defended its title.

The 2017–18 Pro Basketball League, for sponsorship reasons the EuroMillions Basketball League, was the 91st season of the Belgian Basketball League, first tier of basketball in Belgium. The defending champion was Oostende. The season started on 23 September 2017 and ended 14 June 2018.

The 2018–19 Pro Basketball League, for sponsorship reasons the EuroMillions Basketball League, season was the 92nd season of the Pro Basketball League (PBL), first tier of basketball in Belgium. The season started on 5 October 2018 and ended 13 June 2019.

The 2020–21 Pro Basketball League (PBL) was the 94th season of the Pro Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in the Belgium. The regular season was supposed to start in September 2020 but was delayed to 2 October 2020 due to new coronavirus restrictions. It is the last season as the PBL, as in the following season the multinational BNXT League commences.

The 2020–21 Standard Liège season was the club's 117th season in existence and its ninth consecutive season in the top flight of Belgian football. In addition to the domestic league, Standard Liège participated in this season's edition of the Belgian Cup and participated in the UEFA Europa League. The season covered the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

The 2021–22 BNXT League is the inaugural season of the BNXT League, the highest professional basketball league in Belgium and the Netherlands. It replaces the Dutch Basketball League and the Pro Basketball League.

The 2022–23 BNXT League is the second season of the BNXT League, the highest professional basketball league in Belgium and the Netherlands. ZZ Leiden is the defending champion.

The 2023–24 Belgian Basketball Cup, for sponsorship reasons the Lotto Basketball Cup, is the 70th edition of Belgium's national basketball cup tournament. The Antwerp Giants are defending champions.

References

↑ "Statuten Pro Basketball League" (PDF) (in Dutch). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
↑ "The Pro Basketball League and Dutch Basketball League about to launch BeNeLeague as of the 2021–2022 season". Pro Basketball League. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
↑ "Arthur Goethals nieuwe voorzitter Pro Basketball League". Het Nieuwsblad.
↑ "Basketbalcompetitie bij mannen definitief stopgezet: Oostende is weer kampioen". Sporza.be. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
↑ "Scooore! League makes way for Euromillions Basketball League". Scooore! League. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
↑ "A, B en C-licentie in 2009-2010 in Ethias League". Nieuwsblad.be. 12 March 2009.
↑ "Licentiereglement vzw BLB ter deelname aan competitie – Types van licentie" (PDF). BLB. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.

Sources

List of Champions

External links

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Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[1] "Statuten Pro Basketball League" (PDF) (in Dutch). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.

[announcement-2] "The Pro Basketball League and Dutch Basketball League about to launch BeNeLeague as of the 2021–2022 season". Pro Basketball League. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.

[3] "Arthur Goethals nieuwe voorzitter Pro Basketball League". Het Nieuwsblad.

[4] "Basketbalcompetitie bij mannen definitief stopgezet: Oostende is weer kampioen". Sporza.be. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.

[5] "Scooore! League makes way for Euromillions Basketball League". Scooore! League. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.

[6] "A, B en C-licentie in 2009-2010 in Ethias League". Nieuwsblad.be. 12 March 2009.

[7] "Licentiereglement vzw BLB ter deelname aan competitie – Types van licentie" (PDF). BLB. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.

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